fairy appeared next to a large, blue sapphire. The fairy appeared to be addressing a large gathering of green and blue fairies gathered in front of a huge oak tree. Only the oak leaves gave size and dimension to the fairies, which looked like they could ride an oak leaf like a magic carpet.
The blue fairy next to the sapphire had wings on her back and spoke to the assembled audience. These are the words that she spoke: Your blood will flow ‘til none is left While darkness around you descends On Holy Sapphire all you have Fate of the Fairies do depend The Crown of Light the Fairies’ Life Without it all are doomed to die The Holy Sapphire just a patch Redemption only just a lie
The vision slowly faded until only the blue sapphire remained and then it, too, winked out. The cloud congealed and was sucked into the fire. As the stunned watchers gazed, the fire erupted in sparks again and a blue glass bead flew out of the campfire and struck the ancient sword exactly at the place where the glass bead had been. The sword vibrated with melodious metal tones and started spinning around and around until it finally stopped with a jerk, pointing north.
Chapter 13 Children
Everyone sat and stared at the sword as Kalina walked over and picked it up. She held it out in front of her and turned in a circle. Each time she passed the position at which it stopped spinning it vibrated in her hands. She quickly realized that the sword was acting as a compass, but if she was correct in her guess, it was not merely pointing north, it was pointing towards the Holy Sapphire of the fairies.
Kalina looked over at the cowering children and focused her eyes on Niki’s arm. Immediately, it began to warm and return to the normal color of flesh. “Fredrik,” she called, “come over here and hold this sword. Turn in a complete circle holding it out before you and tell me what you think. Tedi, get some coffee going. I think we all need to have a good talk.”
Tedi scampered off uneasily and Fredrik slowly came over and took the sword. Niki rubbed her arm as if trying to speed the cold away. Fredrik confirmed what Kalina had felt and she had each of the children repeat the process.
Out in the woods, the pair of eyes climbed down out of the tree as Tedi put the coffee over the fire. Arik took the reins of the two horses that Garth and Kalina had ridden and tied them to the wagon. Nobody seemed anxious to talk about the prior events except for the display that took place in the campfire.
Garth disappeared and finally Fredrik broke the dreaded silence. “Will the magic call the Dark Riders back or are you really working for them?”
Kalina looked at Fredrik and smiled. “I do not work for the Dark One and the magic I used was extremely small. Their witch will not notice.”
Fredrik looked at Niki with a stunned expression. He could not imagine being cut off from the power being considered small, but that was not what he had meant. “I mean the fireworks display over the campfire,” Fredrik explained.
Kalina’s face frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted. “I was so involved with watching and listening, I don’t know how powerful a broadcast it might have made. Did either of you feel anything?”
Niki and Fredrik shook their heads and Kalina looked around for Garth. When Kalina’s eyes saw Garth, he was marching a young boy before him into the clearing. The boy was obviously not happy about having Garth prod him on. Fredrik, Niki, Arik, and Tedi immediately recognized Tanya, but Kalina had no idea whom Garth was corralling.
“I found this one spying on us,” Garth declared, “and a feisty one he is.”
“I was not spying,” Tanya proclaimed as she took off her leather hat and let her long golden hair cascade down her back, “and I am not a he.”
Kalina tried to hide a smile and failed and Garth was obviously taken aback by the display of hair. “So you’re not,” Garth corrected. “Still, I would say climbing a tree and watching a group of people certainly constitutes spying.”
“I was looking for food and saw your campfire is all,” Tanya stated.
“Where is your uncle?” Niki asked. “I thought he was going into Toresh to get food.”
Kalina looked back and forth between the two girls in confusion. “We were attacked by Dark Riders,” Tanya sobbed. “They killed my uncle and burned the wagon. I only got away by hiding.”
Niki went over and comforted Tanya and Fredrik explained to Kalina whom Tanya was and how they had met. Arik added that they met Boris and Tanya in Lorgo before Garth came to town. Kalina was so confused with everything that was happening that she sat and sipped at her coffee.
Fredrik stared as Niki took Tanya by the hand and got her food. He had never seen Niki be nice to anyone, himself included. Women, he figured, the world’s greatest mystery, and created only to confuse men. Garth walked over and untied the two horses that Arik had tied to the wagon, then helped himself to coffee and sat down. Eventually, everyone gathered at the campfire with a mug of coffee. There were many unanswered questions, but Arik chose to go first.
“Kalina,” he began, “you once told us that we were free to go whenever we wanted. Do you still say that?”
“I will not hold you against your will, Arik, but truthfully, I hope you will stay,” Kalina said. “We all have many questions that go begging answers. We will spend today discussing what we have seen and what it means to each of us. If you still wish to leave after that, I will not stop you.”
“That is acceptable, Arik answered. “I must tell you that I am not comfortable in the company of a witch.”
“Not many people are, Arik,” she sighed, “that is why I hide it. I should point out, though, that you are in the company of three people who can wield magic.”
“What is going on?” Tedi asked. “Why are the Dark Riders after us? What was all of that smoke and images with the sword? I don’t understand any of this and, frankly, I don’t like it.”
“Let me ask a question first,” Kalina interrupted. “Who among you actually touched the sword?”
“We all did,” Niki answered. “I was the one who took it out of the wagon, but once we unrolled it, everyone touched it. What is it?”
Ignoring Niki’s question, Kalina continued her search for information. “Who caused the glass bead to fall out? Was it you, Niki?”
“We are all to blame,” Fredrik stated. “Do not pick on Niki when we should all share in whatever punishment you mete out.”
“I am not talking about punishment or blame,” Kalina insisted, “but I do need to know which one of you caused the bead to fall from the sword.”
“We don’t know,” Arik answered. “The bead was on the bottom of the sword because we were looking at the side where the gems belong. When we turned it over, the bead was not in the sword. There is no way we could determine which one of us broke it. We are all to blame.”
“Okay,” Kalina said exasperatingly, “let me say this again. There is no blame or punishment involved. The sword is not broken. The sword is behaving exactly like it is supposed to. I will admit I was excited when I saw the missing bead, but I was wrong when I accused you of stealing it. I know that now. What I do not know is which one of you was the cause of it coming loose.”
“And we shall never know,” declared Tedi. “Everything that has been said is true. We do not know how the bead came loose. We all touched the sword. Niki had the bead in her hand because she was trying to put it back on the sword. Why does it matter who was the cause?”
“Okay,” Kalina began, “I am going to tell you some things that very few people in the world know, but to tell you, I need your pledges not to repeat it to anyone if you decide to leave us.”
One by one, the children gave their pledges and Kalina finally continued. “In the time before your birth, there was an evil magician known as Sarac. Sarac had visions of ruling the world and he did not care how he achieved that goal. He caused wars and strife in which tens of thousands of people died and still he failed. He created an organization called the Black Devils and taught them magic. One of the spells he taught them tied them to his will with eternal allegiance. In effect, he created a private army that held no allegiance to country, but only to him. In a
